Apparatus for sinking oil wells



April 17, 1928.

- .c. A. LORD APPARATUS FOR SINKING OIL WELLS Filed June 1?, i924 2Sheets-Sheet 1 ,B 311v 1H0;

Charles villa April 1 7, 1928.

C. A. LORD APPARATUS FOR SINKING OIL WELLS- Fiied June 1?. 1924 2Sheets-Shae; 2

Patented Apr. '17, 1928.

U Ni

an STATES CHARLES A. LORD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR SINKING OIL WELLS.

Application filed June 17, 1924. Serial No. 720,652.

This invention relates to a novel method and apparatus for sinking oilor other wells with expedition, safety, and in an economical manner.

According to the usual practice, it is custornary to first dig the welland subsequently put the well casing in place after the drilling orsinking apparatus has been removed, thus necessitating much expensiveand often ineffectual precaution against cave-ins and the like betweenthe time the drilling apparatus is removed and the casing is put inplace. Furthermore, the usual method of drilling involves many hazardsto the equipment as 5 well as the driller, and much of the difficulty isdue to the fact that the drilling is accomplished through the medium ofa long drill stem to which power is applied at the surface of the groundwhile the drill itself often works many thousand feet' under ground,thereby setting up considerable torque in the drill stern which causesthe same to rapidly crystallize and often break off in the well. Also,by this method of drilling it is diiiicult, if not impossible, toprovide a reasonably straight hole due to the flexibility of the drillstem and the encountering of rock or other hard substances by the drillbit, which has a tendency to throw the entire drilling stem off itscourse thereby producing bends or kinks in the stem which result in apoorly driven well and consequent damage to equipment.

Accordingly, the present invention aims to overcome the difficultiesabove set forth and at the same time permit of the easy and convenientdrilling of the well without waste of equipment and to obtain maximumefliciency throughout all of the operations. In that connection theinvention contem plates placing the well casing in the holesimultaneously with the drilling thereof, yet not in any Way interferingwith the drilling equipment or imposing unduly the weight of the casingon the drill, whereby the weight of the drill is properlycounterbalanced or poised so that it will accurately drill the hole. Tothat end, the invention contemplates the use of a combined motor anddrill unit which digs itself into the ground at the head of a hollowsupport and in advance of the well casing while the d bris loosened bythe bit of the drill will be uickly and automatically removed through te hollow supporting tube by a pump located at the surface of the well.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and practicalform of drilling un t including a plurality of electrically drivenmotors'arranged in such a manner that they may be operation as more orless power is re uired to send the apparatus through di erent strata ofsub-soil.

A further novel feature sought by the present construction resides inproviding means for properly spacing the drilling unit with reference tothe surrounding well casing, a part of said means constituting a washeror plug which seals up the well casing at the desired distance above thecasing successively thrown into of the drilling unit so that the suctionof the pump at the surface may be readily imposed on the annular chambersurrounding the drill and beneath the washer, thereby to assist inlifting the water and dbris around the drill casing and into the dbrisremoving pipe which carries the drill unit.

A still further object is to provide simple and effective means forsimultaneously handling the well casing and the dbris removmg tubingwhich suspends the drilling unit. That is to say it is proposed toprovide novel means at the surface of the well for feeding the wellcasing down into the hole prepared by the drilling unit, simultaneouslywith the progress made by the drill while at the same time permitting ofthe ready attachment of additional well casing sections and additionaldebris removing pipe sections as the drilling operation proceeds togreater depths.

With the aboveand other objects in view which will more readily appearas the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consistsin the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts herein-8; ter more fully described, illustrated and c aimed, and in the novelsteps of the method set forth in connection with the apparatusrefIerreld to.

n t e accompan in' drawin sz.

, Figures 1 and 1* sli dw izhcliethod employed in the present inventionand diagrammatically represent the apparatus employed to that end.

Figure 2 is" an enlar ed detail vertical sectional view of the drillingunit.

engages with the washer or packing ring.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several figures of the drawings.

As previously indicated, the present invention has in view a novelmethod for simultaneously sinking the well casing with the preparationof the well and to that end it is proposed to employ anovel drillingunit designated generally as A having at the lower end thereof a drill Bfor digging into the earth and preparing the desired hole to receive thewell casing. The drilling unit includes power means for driving the bitand is sus ended or carried by a dbris removing tube 5, the said unit Aand the tube C being surrounded by-the well easing D. This casingconsists of a plurality of pipe sections connected in the usual mannerand carried or supported from and at the mouth of the hole, or at thesurface of the well, by suitable means for holding, elevating or feedingthe easing into the hole according to the requirements at each stage ofthe operation. This means is preferably inthe form of antislippingrollers E which grip the well casing in such manner as to preventslipping, thereof but will, permit its downward movement as desired bythe operator in accordance with the progress of the drilling operation.

As will also be observed from Figure 1, the dbris removing tube C whichcarries the drilling unit A is engaged by the guiding and clutch rollersF which are mounted on slidable carriages G supported b the intermediateplatform' H. This p atform or deck is positioned in the derrick at asuitable distance above the usual floor to provide the necessaryclearance to facilitate the placing and connecting of additional wellcasing sections and additional pipe sections of the dbris removing tube.Obviously when it is desired to add additional well casing sections thesliding rollers F-F may be pushed backwardly on their carriages toprovide a free passage for mounting the new well casing section on theend of the section about to disappear into the ground.

The upper end of the dbris removing tube C is formed by a permanentdischarge section C which is provided at its lower end with a suitablecoupling (3 for connect ing with the upper end of the last inserted pipesection 0 It w1ll,of course, be understood that each well casing sectionand also each pipe section of the debris tube C are elevated bysuit-able block and tackle means not shown thereby to be properly placedone upon the other as each preceding section works its way into theearth. The pipe sections of the debris removing tube are preferably ofsuch length, or may be so manipulated by the operator so as to maintainthe relative relation of the joints in the tube C to the joints in thewell casing D, as shown in the drawings.

Referring further to the discharge section C of the debris tube it willbe observed that the upper end thereof is preferably provided with acombined suspension hanger and pipe coupling designated generally as I,the same having a bail portion J for cooperating with the hook of ablock and tackle device K which not only serves to facilitate themanipulation of the fixed discharge section, but also serves to suspendthe entire dbris tube C when the device is in use. That is to say, it isnot always desirable to impose the entire weight of the column of thetubing C on the drill'and for the purpose of regulating the pressure onthe drill bit caused by the weight of the tubing, the block and tackledevice K may be used. The device I has connected therewith a flexiblehose section L which hose is preferably of the same diameter as the tubeand con nects with a stand pipe M or its equivalent which in turn isconnected with a pump N. As will be observed from the drawing the hose Lis of suflicient length to compensate for the manipulation of the fixedsection C without disconnecting the hose from either the stand pipe orthe discharge section of the debris tube.

As will also be observed from Figures 1 and 1 the space between thedbris removing tube C and the well casing D provides for accommodatingthe water hose line 0 and the electric cable P both of which are made insections of suitable length to thereby maintain communication with thedrilling unit A at the bottom of the well. The water hose 0 is connectedin any suitable manner with the water supply line 0', as for example bya flexible hose 0 The water supply line 0 may be provided with asuitable valve 0 to shut off the water when a new connection is beingmade.

The power cable P is provided with detachable connections P and is ofcourse also provided with suitable slack P connecting with the permanentpower line P, which in turn connects with the controller 1" at the'operators control station. The controller P may be of any conventionaltype for throwing one or more of the motors of the drilling unit intoand out of action as will presently appear.

One of the distinctive features of the invention is to provide means toassist the operator in the drilling operation. Thus, the drilling unit Amay be equipped with a telephone transmitter T (Fig. 2) suitably carriedby the drill casing, the same in turn being connected with a telephonereceiving set T! with a head set T for permitting the operator to hearwhat the drill is doing, thereby indicating whether the drill is passingthrough soft sub-soil, hard rock or the like. Skilled operators readilybecome accustomed to the different sounds and can thereby better controlthe operation and manipulation of the drill accordingly.

As will be observed more particularly from Figure 1, the water hose line0 as well as the power line P pass through the water plate or gasket Ucarried by the drill unit A above the cap or cage V which is mounteddirectly on the drill casing and is provided with openings V forestablishing conununication between the interior of the dbrisremovingtube C and the annular space V provided between the exterior of thecasing. of the drill unit A and the lower section of the well casing D.The gasket or washer U serves not only to seal the lower end of the wellcasing from the portion above it, but also serves to center and steadythe drill casing A in the lower end of the tube. And, to further assistin centering or steadying the drill casing, and to prevent cantiiigthereof and a consequently crooked hole, additional spacing means may beused, for example the collar W may be used or suitable lugs may beprovided on the inside of the lowermost well casing section as desired.

As will also be seen from Figure 1, the lowermost well casing sectionmay be provided with spaced lugs U for the washer plate U to restagainst, thereby having the effect of properly gauging the drill bitwith reference tothe mouth of the well casing. Also it will be apparentthat when the washer plate U rests on the spaced lugs U, the well casingmay be automatically propelled or fed into the hole as the drill bit B.advances to greater depths. \Vhen the drilling unit A thus carries thewell casing with it the rollers E-E at the surface of the well merelyact as guides and clutch rollers for preventing the casing from fallingonto the blades of the bit B. It may be also pointed out that the spacedlugs I are bevelled on their under sides so as to preyent the blades ofthe drill from catching thereon when the drilling unit is withdrawn, andlikewise the spacing of the lugs permits of the spacing and centeringcollar \V to pass by the same without interference. Furthermore, it isto be noted that the lugs U have a relatively limited projectioninto-the tube so as to not interfere with the withdrawal of the drillcasing A.

at the surface, the same being equippcd' discharge section C ,and thedrilling unit .that the well turns In practicing the present method, thederrick is located 'at the well site and the preliminary hole for themade. Then the. first section of the well casing is placed between therollers EE which are mounted on the shafts E which may be connected withany suitable form of braking mechanism and power means for permittingthe casing to go into the ground or elevate it as required. In thatconnection, any of the standard type of well elevator casing mechanismsmay be utilized to advantage, however, for the purposes of illustrationthe rollers EE have been shown.

\Vithin the well casing section is placed the drilling unit A, the samebeing spaced therefrom bv the washer or asket U and the spacing collar\V or its equivalent, with the drill bit B resting upon the ground. Thefirst section of debris removing tubing C having been connected to theupper end of the drilling unit A and the latter in turn having beenconnected with the permanent of said tubing, the entire device is incondition for operation, assuming, of course, that the properconnections have been made between the water hose and the source ofwater-supply O and likewise the proper connection between the power andtelephone cable P and the permanent attachment plug P The operator maythen use the controller P to control the various motors of the drillingunit A thereby to proceed with the drilling operation. Waterbeingsupplied to the drill bit B and the pump end being in operation, thedebris worked up by the drill will be removed from the hole by passingaround the casing of the drilling unit and thence through the cage V onthe top thereof into the debris removing tube C from whence it will beconducted to waste in the usual manner. As the operator permits thedrill stem to work its way into the earth, the well casing D issimultaneously permitted to progress into the hole thereby placing thecasing. section by section in the hole as the depth increases. \Vhen theoil vein is tapped or the oil sands have been reached, the drilling isstopped A may be readily withdrawn from the well casing due to theautomatic collapsing of the drill bit B. In event out to be a gusher,the washeror gasket U serves as a stopper or obstruction to preventunnecessary waste of oil and if desired the dbris tube may be used forthe purpose of carrying away the drilling apparatus is v llb tion acasing consisting of a body section 1 provided at one end with suitablebearings 2 for receiving the lower end of a combined drill and armatureshaft 31 having thereon a 5 plurality of motors f each of which is underthe direct control of the operator through the controller I? ofFigure 1. The armatures of all of the motors 4 are connected directlywith the shaft 3 and each superposed motor may be energized by theoperator by shifting the handle of the controller, at the surface of thewell, as desired, to bring a plurality of motors into play when greaterpower is required to drill through hard rock or the like.

When the drill bit B strikes a hardstratum of rock it will, of course,require more power to drill through the same, and thus the bringin intoplay of additional motors 4 will give the desired power to overcome thetemporary obstruction encountered by the drill. To assist the drill inthe boring operationthe combined armature and drill shaft 3 isresiliently mounted inthe direction of its axis as will presentlyappear, and to relieve the shaft of shock due to the blade quicklypassing from a soft strata of earth into a hard stratum the 'shockabsorbing spring 5 is provided at the lower end of the column of motors4. j

The upper end of the body section 1 is provided with a bearing plate 6for receiving the upper end of the armature shaft 3, and to relieve theshaft of undue shock or strain, a shock absorber 7 is provided. Theoutside of the body 1 is provided at a suitable distance below its upperend with a threaded coupling portion 8 which is adapted to cooperatewith a corresponding threaded coupling portion 9 carried by a sealingcap 10 which acts as a cover to seal the upper end of the body 1 of thedrill casing. As shown in Figure 2 the exterior threaded parts "8 and 9cooperate with a coupling ring 11 45 and a suitable gasket 12 forclamping the ca to the body and providing a water tight joint at thatpoint. The dome 13 of the cap is provided with water tight outletmembers 14 and 15 respectively 'for permitting the entrance of the waterhose into and within the drill casing 1 and the power cable P. The saidpower cable P connects with a conduit P which carries the wires Pleading to the various motor units 4.

Referring further to the cap it will be observed that the same is alsoprovided on its side wall adjacent the dome 1'3 with an externallythreaded portion 16 which receives the internally threaded sleeveportion 17 of the cage V previously referred to and which has theopenings V. This cage is provided with a discharge portion- 18 whichcorresponds to the spigot end of a pipe for receiving the bell-end 19 ofthe lower pipe section of the dbris removing tube or conduit C. Thus, itwill be seen that the entire drilling unit A iscarried by and suspendedfrom the dbris tubing C.

Referring further to the gasket or washer U it will be observed that thesame may be of any suitable and practical construction, and preferablyconsists of a flange element 20' carried by the cage V, a leather orequivalent flexible washer element 21 and a suitable clampin ring 22 andclamping block 23 held in place by the lower edge of the bell 19 of' thelowermost pipe of the debris removing tube. The water pipe 0 and thepower line P pass through the gasket or washer unit U as previouslyindicated.

The drill bit is shown in detail in Figure 3 and preferably consists ofa frame 24 having a central transverse slot 25 in which are mounted theshank portions of a pair of boring blades 27. These blades are pivotallyconnected as at 28 and the shank portions 26 thereof are provided witharcuate slots 29- which work on pins 30 disposed across the slot 25 inthe frame 24. The said blades 27 are provided with relatively fiatboring faces 31 having a plurality of staggered teeth 34 which producein effect the same result as the teeth of a coarse Wood file, therebyhaving the effect of pulverizing hard substances into such a form thatthey will readily pass out with the water which is used in the boringoperation. Y

As previously indicated the blades 27 are intended to be collapsible,that is, they are intended to recede so as to occupy less space than thediameter of the well casing, thereby to permit the drill bit to bewithdrawn from the casing. To that end, the shank portions 26 of theblades are bevelled as indicated at 32 thereby to cooperate with anexpanding and releasing cone 33 formed on the end of the combinedarmature and drill shaft This shaft is provided with a threaded portion35 cooperating with a similarly threaded portion of the frame 24: sothat upon reverse movoment of the said shaft the cone 33 will be movedaway from the inclined portions 32 of the shanks 26 of the blades whichpermit the outer edges of the blades to rccede. For the purpose oflimiting the unthreading movement of the shaft 3 with reference to theframe 24, the same is provided with a reduced neck portion 36 be tweenthe cone 33 and the threads 35. This formation provides a lost motiongroove for accon'imodating a stop bar or pin 37 as clearly shown inFigure 3, so that when the motion of the screw is reversed it will notdrop the bit frame.

It will be observed that the screw threads 35 are right-hand threads sothat the normal turning of the armature shaft 3 will expand the blades27 to working position. When the drilling unit is to be lifted from thewell casing the motors are reversed so that the Hill I threads 35 willunscrew from the frame and adding from the top of the well The drillingunit A is a self-contained power unit having the collapsible drill bit Bfor advancing into the earth and making a pathway for the casing of thedrilling unit as well as the following well casing.

In connection with the progressive addition of well casing sections andsections for v the debris removing conduit it is pointed out that one ofthe distinctive features of the invention resides in providinga doubledeck derrick, that is a derrick having a lower platform and an upperplatform forming the well casing sections and the sections of the dbrisremoving conduit are respectively handled, thereby making it possible toexpeditiousl and safely manipulate the well casing and conduit to makeit of any length desired.

Another distinctive feature of the invention resides in the provision ofthe construction involving the combination of the first 5 well casingsection and the interiorly spaced drilling unit which is disposed in themouth of the dbris removing conduit, which mouth is provided by thefirst well easing section. In connection with the removal of materialthrough the conduit C, the particular type of boring blades 27 are animportant factor.

The relatively short sta gered teeth 34 on the faces of the drill bla esprovide a finely divided earthy mass which finds the water a readyvehicle to facilitate removal.

Without further description, it is thought that the many features andadvantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art, and it will, of course, be understood that the changes in theform, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from' the spirit of the invention and scope of theappended claims.

claim:

1. A well making apparatus including in combination, a superstructure,separate platforms at different-elevations in said superstructure, acasing, a dbris removing tubing,

I a drilling unit carried 10 the dbris removthe tubing and also thecasing to follow the drilling unit.

- 2. A well making apparatus including in combination, a superstructure,platforms at different elevations in said superstructure, a casing, adbris removin tubing, a drilling unit carried by the debris removingtubing, means for engaging said tubing mounted on one of said platformsand including parts adjustable at right angles to the tubing, and meanson the other of said platforms for sustaining the casing and allowing itto follow the rillin unlt.

3. well mziking apparatus including in comblnatlon, a superstructure,platforms at different elevations in said su erstructure, a

casing, a dbris removin tubing, adrilling unit carried by the debrisremoving tubing, means on one of said platforms for engaging and feedingsaid dbris removing tubing, means on the other of said platforms forengaging and feeding the well casing, power means by the platform whichsupports the means for engaging the tubing, said power means and watersupplying means extending between the casing and the tubing andconnecting with the drilling unit.

4. In an apparatus formaking oil wells and the like, sections, tubingsections adapted to forma debris conduit, a drilling. unit at the end ofsaid debris conduit, super-structure at .the surface of the ground,means carried by said super-structure for separately and simultaneouslyadding well casing sections and tubing sections to the dbris conduit,said means comprising platforms arranged at different elevations,combined guiding, feeding and clutch means on each platform forrespectively engaging the sections of the well casing and sections ofthe tubing of the tubing constitutin the dbris conduit and arrangedwithin t s well casing, means carried by the conduit adjacent the upperend of the drilling unit and cooperating with a well casing section toprovide a' dbris chamber communicating with the dbris tube, means for suplyin water to said dbris chamber and t e d!" ling unit, a pumpconnected with the dbris conduit, a super structure, means carried bythe super-structure for adding additional well casing sections andadditional ,tubi'ng sections to the debris-"conduit. 1/

6. In an apparatus for making oil Wells and the like,t e combination ofwell casing sections, a self-contained power drilling unit arrangedwithin saidiwell casing sections and water supplying means carried thecombination of well casing and having a collapsible drill bit arrangedin advance of the mouth of the first well casing section, tubingsections forming a debris conduit adapted to be arranged within the wellcasing sections, means for connecting the lower end of the dbris conduitwith a drilling unit, said means providing a sealed debris chamber inthe lowermost well casin section and establishing communication with thedebris conduit, a super-structure at the surface of the ground and meanscarried by said super-structure for assisting in adding additional wellcasing sections and additional tubing sections, a pump connected withsaid dbris removing conduit.

7. In an ap arutus for making oil wells and the like, tiie combinationof well casing sections, tubing sections arranged within the well casinsections, a self-contained power driven drilling unit arranged withinthe lowermost well casing section and having a collapsible drill bitarranged in advance of the mouth of'such well casing section, meanscarried by said tubing sections for providing a dbris chamber around andabout the casing of the drilling .unit and means for establishing,communlcation between said chamber and the tubing, a super-structure atthe surface of the ground, means for adding sections to the well casing,means for adding sections to the tubing, means for supplying power tothe drilling unit, a controller for controlling said power to thedrilling unit,

means for supplying water tothe chamber and drilling unit, a pumpconnected with the dbris tubing, and means for elevating said tubing. V

8. 11 an apparatus for making oil wells and the like, a self-containedpower driven drilling unit comprising a casing, a combined drill andarmature shaft journaled in said casing, a plurality of motors on saidcombined armature and drill shaft, a power cable for supplying currentto said motors, means for selectively controlling said motors, a drillbit carried by the exposed end of said shaft, a water pipe extendingthrough said casing to supply the drill bit with water, a cap for saidcasing having fluid tight openings for permitting the passage of thewater pipe and the power cable, a suspending cage carried by said cap,and a well casing engaging gasket carried by said cage.

9. In an apparatus for making oil wells and the like, a self-containedpower driven drilling unit including a casing, acombined drill andarmature shaft journaled in said casing, a drill bit carried by the endof said shaft projecting beyond the casing, a cap for the end of saidcasing opposite the drill, means for connecting said cap to-the casingin a water tight manner, a suspending cage connected with the cap andhaving openings, and a well casing engaging gasket carried by said cage.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature.

' CHARLES A. LORD.

